Fragile Things
by Zalia Chimera
Summary: Even in the midst of the apocalypse, there are some moments worth savouring.


Title: Fragile Things

Author: Zalia Chimera

Pairing: Eugene/Jack

Summary: Even in the apocalypse, there are some moments worth savouring.

* * *

"What is this place?"

"Hell if I know," Jack says, finally taking a look around in the dim and narrow light of their torches. "Some kind of office?"

"Looks that way," Eugene says. "Park management or something, I guess."

"Lucky us," Jack replies, turning to test that door one more time. It's locked thankfully, but they've shoved a cabinet up against it just in case. "Upstairs?" he suggests, the torchlight raking over the metal staircase.

"Yeah. We should."

Eugene leads the way, brandishing the piece of metal pipe like a bludgeon as they climb and enter the room at the top. Empty as well, a quick search with the torch revealing what looks like more office space. It doesn't matter, the room is small and easily guarded. Pretty perfect for a night's hideout.

"We really need to not leave it so late tomorrow," Eugene says as they settle down, unrolling the sleeping bags and setting out their supplies of food.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know that after that service station there wouldn't be another building for miles? It's not like they're putting up signs like '10 miles until the next possible sanctuary from the undead hordes'."

Euegene smiles and tugs him down, kissing him until Jack hums sweetly and relaxes against him, nervous energy bleeding out of him. "It's okay, dummy. We just... need to be more careful. I don't want to get caught outside after dark again."

"Rather get caught inside after dark," Jack says, and Eugene can feel his smile change in the darkness, Jack's arm sliding around him.

"Let's eat first," Eugene says, brushing his lips against Jack's cheek.

They have a travel lantern which casts roughly half of the small room into light, making the shadows extend in a way that might have been eerie once, but when you've spent the day evading zombies, shadows seem almost friendly. Eugene sets it up and pokes through what they have. "So, what are you in the mood for? Corned beef or minestrone soup?"

"Oooh, what a wealth of goods we have," Jack says, bumping their shoulders. "Corned beef I think. We had soup last night. We should mix it up."

"Right, variety is the spice of life and all that."

It's cold and kind of gross and pricks at every last lingering shred of food snob dignity that he has, but it's food. He never thought that he'd be so grateful for half a tin of corned beef and a couple of squares of chocolate.

"So," Jack says, giving him a sideways look, a little half-smirk half-smile playing about his lips. "About getting caught."

Eugene laughs softly, slides his hand around to rest against the back of Jack's neck. "C'mere. I'll show you caught."

"Oooh, Mr Woods, I'll start to think that you're trying to seduce me." He grins and lets Eugene pull him into a lingering kiss, whimpering a little when Eugene's teeth graze over his lips.

"What gave me away?" Eugene asks, tongue flicking out over the spot that he'd just nipped.

"Oh, I sort of had a- a hunch," Jack says, sounding a little breathless. "The kissing might have given it away too."

"Always the kissing. I've really got to work on that."

"I will offer myself up as a willing test subject," Jack replies and leans in to do just that.

They're still alive come morning and that's a relief that Eugene had never thought he'd have to experience, y'know, waking up, unbitten and breathing. It's early morning, the days getting lighter which is a relief. More time to travel, more chance of finding safe spots to shelter before dark. They clear up their makeshift camp, pack up without speaking in a way that's become routine over the weeks of travelling together.

The head downstairs and the barricade is still intact so they're probably safe to explore a little. Well, not so much safe as not in immediate danger. It's a subtle but important distinction.

The inside door leads to some more offices and an industrial style kitchen area filled with the sickly-sweet scent of rotting fruit. They hurry through without checking the cupboards or the fridge. That never ends well. They come out into a store room and beyond that there's a shop and-

"Wow, this is almost untouched!" Jack says, looking around at it with a certain amount of wonder.

Eugene follows him, staring a little too, because anywhere untouched is rare these days. "Must've been too far away from a settlement to make it worthwhile." It's a gift shop really which is unfortunate, pencils and notepads and little plastic toys. Eugene picks up a brightly coloured eraser, turning it over in his hands.

"Well, we're kind of sorted for sweets for the rest of forever," Jack says from across the room, and he's already tearing into a packet of chips and opening a can of pop.

"You better make sure you eat some of the lime flavoured sweets. You've got to eat your greens."

Jack laughs, chugging half of the pop before picking WG back up and heading to the next door. "Good thing I've got you here to keep me healthy. I'm gonna check out what's in here. Maybe there's a cafe!"

"Don't go too far!" Eugene calls after him, and gets a cheeky wave in return as Jack disappears into the next room. Eugene grabs a drink for himself. It's warm and tastes incredibly sweet after weeks of mainly drinking water but it's refreshing, and he starts to fill up the empty spaces in his bag and pockets with chips and candy. Not the healthiest selection but better than nothing.

"Eugene!" Jack's voice comes through loud and clear and shocked, and Eugene's blood turns to ice. He has his pipe raised in a moment and charges through, fearing the worst. Oh god, why had he waited? Why hadn't he told Jack to wait? Why why why and-

He stops dead when he spots Jack, eyes going wide at the sight.

"Jack..."

Jack beams at him, wide and delighted and so so happy, like Eugene hasn't seen him since they'd first kissed pressed up against each other in the back room of a DIY store. "It's a butterfly house, Gene!"

And Eugene, Eugene just laughs to see Jack covered in the insects, beating their wings slowly against his hair and arms and one of them's on his cheek, bright blue wings spread wide.

Eugene takes a step forward and some of the butterflies take flight. Some of them land on his backpack and one on the end of the pipe. "How are they still here?"

Jack shrugs, dislodging a few more which settle back onto him in different places, one the ends of his fingers even, when he holds out his hands. "I dunno. It's still warm in here though! The glass must trap enough heat and the maybe water's getting in somewhere, enough to keep the plants alive."

"Yeah, that must be it," Eugene says, leaning closer to stare in wonder at the closest butterfly. It stays obligingly still for a few moments before flying off. Eugene finally takes a proper look; the trees and flowers are still there, overgrown in places, dead in others, but it seems remarkably alive.

"Oh my god, look at that one!" Jack says, and then he's leaping off ahead, running over the walkways after one of the butterflies, the ones that had landed on him taking off in a cloud of coloured wings.

Eugene goes after him at a slightly more sedate pace as he chases the butterflies, and okay, maybe chases him a little too, their laughter filling the place for the first time since the outbreak probably. There are holes in the ceiling letting in cooler air and local wildlife must be getting in somehow, only to be eaten by the sleepy looking lizard that he spots sunning itself on a rock.

He eventually finds Jack sprawled out on his back on one of the walkways, eyes closed and being happily explored by hundreds of bugs. Eugene just watches for a moment, smiling.

"I wish I had a camera," he says after a moment, because god, he wants to save this moment.

Jack opens his eyes, still smiling blissfully at being covered in butterflies. "Taking compromising photographs now, are we?"

"Of course. I need the blackmail material for later," Eugene replies and goes to sit down next to him. It scares most of the butterflies away to surrounding branches and Jack tugs him the rest of the way don't until they're laying side by side.

"I can't believe a place like this still exists," Jack murmurs, turning to press his face against Eugene's throat.

"It is pretty amazing," Eugene agrees and he should really move. They've slept and eaten and they just can't stop somewhere for too long. "We should keep moving."

"Yeah," Jack agrees, and makes absolutely no attempt to stand up or do much else except curl closer against Eugene's side. "I wonder if there's like... tigers and wolves in the wild now. Like, there was a safari park I visited as a kid and-"

"I think I prefer the butterflies," Eugene says with a soft laugh, his hand running through Jack's hair, scratching lightly at his scalp in a way that makes him go limp and cat-like in his arms.

Eugene rolls them over so that he's looking down at Jack. There's dust in his hair, and bits of fallen leaves and he's smiling so brightly that Eugene can almost believe it's not the end of the world. For a few moments, it's like time stands still. "We should really go," Eugene says, reaching up to brush one of the twigs from Jack's hair. He ends up stroking his cheek instead, tracing his smile with his thumb.

"I know," Jack says softly. "Zombies and all."

And still, neither of them move.

Outside the end of the world is continuing and for all they know, they're the only people in the world. And Eugene leans down to kiss Jack like none of it matters.


End file.
